East Africa vs Southern Africa | The Safari Shots Podcast Ep.7
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- Опубліковано 1 жов 2024
- Which safari destination is best?
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If you've always wondered which safari destination is best: East Africa or Southern Africa, this podcast is for you! Between the two of us, Lance and I have lead plenty of photographic safaris to both places and today we share our thoughts and some top tips with you.
We discuss the differences between safaris in East Africa and Southern Africa when it comes to reserve and park restrictions, guides, vehicles, landscape and terrain, animal diversity and numbers and, of course, photographic opportunities.
At the end of the podcast, Lance shares valuable thoughts on people who go. onsafari for the first time, but who may very well come back in the future, versus someone who will only ever come on safari once in their lifetime.
Enjoy!
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As much as I love Kruger, our family went several times a year when I was growing up, my most incredible safari was actually in Uganda. We started out the morning game drive from the lodge and saw some of the big 5, amazing vistas, etc. About an hour in, we came to a deep gorge where a micro climate existed that produced a forest in a relatively narrow canyon running through the savannah. We disembarked and went on a chimp trekking walk. On the same game drive. I haven’t found another place like that. This was in Queen Elizabeth National Park.
Enjoyed this discussion. I grew up in Kenya and have lived in Tanzania much of my adult life. Almost all of my experience has been self drive in parks in both countries. But I can say this, there is a wide variety of quality in terms of lodging and guiding. There are guides in the region who will do exactly as mentioned, move on from busy sightings to find something else. But you guys, especially Lance, need to check out the parks in Northern Kenya like Samburu, Buffalo Springs/Shaba as well as other parks like Tarangire, Lake Manyara, Nyerere and Ruaha in Tanzania. You will find much more variety in habitat and species as well as fewer vehicles. These areas address some of the cons you mentioned in East Africa. Having a bird count of over 100 species in a day is doable in many locations. And, Lance, with the exception of packed lunches😂, food is usually excellent at lodges so maybe you need to try some new places!😊
We went to Botswana in late January, early February, visiting The Chobe River and NP, and Okavango Delta. Absolutely loved it. Spectacular. Game viewing on a river is one thing that can't be done in East Africa that I know of. Also, as far as night drives, can be done in both regions but I THINK it's more common in Southern Africa.
I've just been on an amazing safari to the Okavango Delta Botswana with Panthera Photo Safaris ..highly recommend..we saw so many awesome sightings 😊
Niki, the Okavango Delta is hard to beat!! 😃
Nice place. I have been to the Okavango Delta, Chobe National Park and Trans-Kalahari National Park. As a result I have seen all kinds animals and birds.
I don't think it's fair to compare the crowds of masai mara/serengeti to game reserve crowds as the former are national parks.
A better comparison would be between them and the crowds of kruger national park area not the game reserve.
The crowds of south african game reserve can be compared to the conservancies of kenya which are not as crowded
@@sowrabvattipalli5981 fair point!
Gentlemen another great episode! Very late in this comment, but well done! Your insights and tips are most appreciated.
This was a great video, as always. I am looking forward to watching the one comparing Kruger self drive and accommodation options. I am heading over with my husband and three young kids from Australia and Kruger is probably the most affordable option for a family.
Is Kruger going to be covered in the next one? I’m going at the end of June (first time in Africa) and would love any tips!
No, unfortunately not, but go search for another video of mine called “Where to find animals in the Kruger National Park”. Also check out my Kruger National Park playlist - I have loads of videos about the park 😁👍🏻
Great discussion. Thoroughly enjoyed it. Having been on safari more than 10 times both to East and Southern Africa, I have enjoyed both experiences immensely. Vastly different but equally enjoyable. My take: First safari ever and may not go back to Africa again: Choice should be east Africa especially Masai Mara. Once you have had your fill of the big open spaces filled with wall to wall animals along with big cats, turn to Southern Africa. East Africa is all about quantity and huge photographic opportunities. Southern Africa is more about quality over quantity, more intimate experiences like getting close to big game on foot , tracking animals by their spoor , gaining more knowledge about bush in general. As far as animals in their environment is concerned, places like Mana Pools and Lower Zambezi are right there at the top with east Africa.
Nailed it!
Yeah, Southern Africa tends to have more vegetation where animals can "hide" while grazing(though there are plains too around rivers, etc), while East Africa where there are wide open grasslands with fewer bushes to watch animals.
Bit too much advertising in this. Didnt even acknowledge self driving as a thinh but spent every other sentence saying how the best choice is booking with lance....
Wouldn’t have said it if I didn’t mean it 😉 Self-drive options coming in an upcoming episode 👍🏻
@@TheSafariExpert im not knocking lances company. Im sure it has alot to offer. But it didnt need to be mentioned that often. Respect for replying to a negative comment though. I do like lots of your content.
And on the nothing compares to kilomanjaro point. Id argue that whilst kilomanjaro is the best background anywhere in africa. Southern africa does have some comaprable scenery. The flowers in mashatu/kgalagadi, the pan in etosha and the dunes in namibia. Getting lions on the dunes is really difficult but its an amazing "animals in their habitat" shot. Agreed that greater kruger is some of the worst habitat for photography though
What a great video guys and superb advice…I just love these podcasts so please do keep them up 😀. You guys pack so much into each episode I usually watch them twice to get it all. As a long time Kruger fan I’m glad you are covering that in an upcoming episode but one Southern Africa option you didn’t get into is the ability to do walking focused trips with truly amazing guides….in particular Mana Pools as one of the differences between East and Southern Africa. The intimacy of being in the middle of a pack of wild dogs or having a big bull elephant towering over you while sitting against a tree in Mana Pools opens up photographic opportunities that are quite unique….talk about low angle shots 😉. The memory of having one of those iconic bull elephants literally touch the tip of our canoe just as the sun was setting on the Zambezi is one you just can’t get anywhere else that I know of.
So glad you’re enjoying these, Joe. And yes, Mana Pools is a stand-out destination in Southern Africa for sure 😃🙌🏻
Mana pools is still one of the most epic places! The dogs and eles make it so good I could happily skip all the other animals 😂
Great video. South African seems to have more variety of wildlife but east Africa seems to have greater numbers.
100%
I did Kruger NP 18 months ago as a first time safari. In June I turn 60 and some friends and I are doing the Serengeti, Ngorogoro, Tarangire, Manyara, Arusha NP and Mkomazi NP. I am way beyond excited about this trip (not about turning 60 tho). I also LOVE South Africa and will be back some day!
That’s going to be an amazing trip, Mark! 🇹🇿😃 Enjoy every second!
Fantastic convo, details matter! I have never been, but while the landscapes in E Africa are spectacular, the massive number of vehicles racing about and parking on top of one another, the noise, would drive me mad.
Exactly! Hence why the "slow seasons" can often be the most magical!!
This is a better East vs. South Africa comparison than most on the internet!
Thank you for the kind words 🙏🏻
Why thank you so much!
Great video and the pros and cons were highlighted superbly, but taking all those points into consideration, I favor Southern Africas approach, and the one outstanding issue in Eastern Africa could be that after such a holiday you are more stressed and exhausted than before and that is counterproductive.
Thanks, Werner. You’re right, you often feel like you need a holiday after an East African safari 😅
Haha nothing like needing a holiday after your holiday 😃
The traffic in Arusha 😳
Interesting chat. I have been to both Eastern and Southern Africa often, and it really is hard to pick a favourite. As an avid wildlife photographer, I'd say consider yourself lucky if you get a chance to visit any of those premier wildlife viewing destinations as you cannot go wrong with either one. More importantly, I am relieved to see two pros openly addressing the issue of being stuck on a vehicle with run-of-the-mill-travelers... that is one of my biggest fears and pet peeves when I am on safari, as I like being solo but won't rent a private vehicle. I consider myself pretty discrete and decent as a photographer, very seldom asking that we stop or spend extra time at a sighting. Still, having to put up with silly comments and stupid questions is something that drives me nuts. Seeing how expensive these trips are by default, I often wonder if some of these operators couldn't try a little harder to please individual guests or bookings by adjusting their vehicle distribution. In Botswana, for example, I love Kwando as they won't put more than 6 people on a vehicle or Ker & Downey, which does up to 4.
It's true I also wish the lodge managers / safari managers who do allocations would try a bit harder to match guest interests. Would save a lot of people a lot of money on private vehicles..... normally it's done by arrival/departure dates
Great show 🎉
Another great podcast. I really enjoyed this one!😊
Great discussion. Being a wildlife nut with a camera, rather than being a wildlife photographer, I must say that I agree with Villiers that the private reserves in Sabi Sands provide a more intimate nature experience. My one trip to Ngorongoro and Serengeti for the crossings was very exciting, and I certainly enjoyed seeing the huge numbers of lions and cheetah that we saw, but I have never really felt the desire to go back there. On the other hand, I can just never get enough of the intimate leopard viewing that you get in Sabi Sands. Ngorongoro provides the most beautiful backdrop, and amazing lighting, but it is a total circus around sightings. We stayed at a small, luxury tented camp close to the Mara River in Serengeti and had two spectacular crossings, and vehicle numbers weren't too bad at either. It really was a spectacular experience, but once was plenty for me. For me, following lion, leopard or wild dogs off road through the bush is just one of the most exciting wildlife experiences you can have.
Ohhhhhh my! If you love sabi sands leopards you should seriously consider adding a mashatu visit next time as well! Leopards are just as good, if not better, and the terrain makes them even easier to find and follow!
Hopefully one day the circus will be controlled!
I live next to southern Kruger, been to Tanzania and Botswana. I must say that Botswana was the best for me. I was ultra lucky because I went right after lockdown and was at that time the only client in the whole of Savuti for 3 days, it was bizarre to have a whole reserve all to myself, even got permission to fly my drone which enabled me to 3D scan some unique landscapes and sightings. Good info in this video 👍 see you in the bush
I looooooove Botswana!
I must say for me as well....Botswana is hard to beat!
Wow! Making a difficult choice even more difficult!!! At the end of the day we will do both😀
Thanks for a great podcast and your time you spend on it. We appreciate.
Keep it up - GREAT work 🐾🐾
haha woooooo both is always good :D
I’ve been to both. Sabi sands in South Africa and both private concessions and national reserve in the Mara. Our guide from the private concessions in the Mara was phenomenal. He intuitively knew where to find the best sightings. no talking on the walkie talkie or phone. We were the only ones or shared with two others in the safari jeep. I suppose we got very lucky with the lodge we picked
Where did you go? Who was the guide?
@@PantheraPhotoSafaris Basecamp Eagle View. (Naboisho conservancy, Mara). In South Africa, we were at Elephant Plains (Sabi Sands).
@@shilpashastri ahhhh beautiful!
Waal waal waal, this video is exceptional 👌
Oh hey I was indirectly mentioned in this. East Africa all day every day!
:D :D :D
I actually have been to both,but I would go to East Africa to find very rare and secretive animals. I would go to South Africa to learn how to track better.
Which rare and secretive animals are you talking about? 😮
@@TheSafariExpert In East Africa leopard sightings are pretty rare as well as rhino sightings, but in Southern Africa they are quite common. On an East African safari I only rhinos through binoculars at a very far away distance.
I agree....black leopard, stripped hyenas....servals!
Completely forgot to mention the tracking aspect. It kind of ties into the better guiding part 😎